LSHA/County News

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Friday, Governor Scott's
Appointment Office announced the appointment of two new
members to the Lake Shore Hospital Board to fill the
vacated seats of Dr. Waseem Khan and former Board Chair
Koby Adams, Chief of Staff of Rep. Elizabeth Porter,
both of whom resigned.

The Governor's Board remains
unrepresentative of the diversity of
Columbia County and in line with former
Board Chairman and now Manager of the
Authority, Jackson P. "Jack" Berry's 2008
remark that Board members who are "free,
white, and over 21" can answer questions.

Dr. Mark Thompson of Lake City was
appointed to Dr. Waseem Khan's vacated seat
after Khan resigned. Dr. Khan did not live
in Columbia County for some time, something
which he denied in the County's mainstream
media, The Lake City Reporter, in which he
was quoted as saying about his residency,
"There is no issue here."

Dr. Khan's homestead exemption has for
years been in Alachua County.

Dr. Thompson works with Dr. Khan at North
Florida Cancer Care and is affiliated with
the Lake City Medical Center (an HCA
hospital -- HCA is listed on the NYSE) as
well as Shands at Lakeshore, which is leased
by Community Health Systems (CHS), a NY
Stock Exchange listed corporation.

Dr. Thompson's term expires on May 12,
2020.

Jay Swisher works at Florida Gateway
College in public safety and was appointed
to fill Tim Murphy's term, which expires on
August 22, 2020.

LSHA Board Remains Undiversified

In 2008 then Board Chairman, now
Authority Manager made a racist remark which
in the civilized world would have meant
resignation, dismissal, or removal.

In a two part series in 2008, Mr. Berry
and the Governor's appointed board defied
public accountability.

Epilogue

A decade later, with a now all white
board that is over 21, nothing has changed.
The Governor's Board still refuses to answer
questions, while Mr. Berry added a new
element to his failure to answer by turning
his back on residents as they came to the
microphone.